Alright, I have one. Why are sparkley costumes almost an unspoken necessity in figure skating? Don't get me wrong, I love the sparkles, I just don't understand why 99% of outfits have them.
I used to assume it was what gave the outfits drama, but now I realize most of them would be dramatic enough without them. Is there even a reason?

Some conservative judges at the time thought that style was too flashy/theatrical for sport, but many skaters liked them and this kind of ornamentation, stones as well as sequens, became even more popularhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX_cSCm115U

My theories:

Ice sparkles, especially under bright lights, so skaters wanted to make sure that eyes would be drawn to them and not to the ice

Sparkly images remind viewers of fantastical winter wonderlands/fairylands, appropriate for the magical/fantastical kinds of movements skaters can perform on ice and also many popular ballets whose music and themes many skaters choose to interpret

Sparkles on clothing are reminiscent of jewels, suggesting dressing up for a formal special occasion

She is not eligible under the current criteria. She didn't compete last year so was not on the SB list and is also not on the top ranked skaters list (well, she is, but she is number 50). She also doesn't fit in the 'comeback' skaters criterion. To qualify for that, you need at some point to have finished top 6 at the World Championships. She never has. There is a small chance that if skaters start dropping out, she might get one assignment based on being ranked 50th in the rankings due to the very depleted field, but I don't think her chances are that good.

This is one circumstance where IMO the 'rules' get it wrong as I do thinks he should have a spot, but once you know the selection criteria it is clear why she doesn't have one.

Do choreographers ever copyright their programs? I got curious b/c of a post in another thread re: copyright infringement/uploads to YouTube.

Don't know the answer to your question.

But if you are referring to video from the Broadmoor Open, I would think that Broadmoor SC and/or the vendor that BSC commissioned to sell the streaming has legal ownership of all video from the competition.
In other words, I am guessing that the Broadmoor issue is not related to the choreography of any particular skater.

I'm curious, what is the general opinion of skaters who copy costumes/music/choreography? I saw one dance team on the JGP circuit copied quite a bit from various other teams, and I didn't know what to think of it.

But if you are referring to video from the Broadmoor Open, I would think that Broadmoor SC and/or the vendor that BSC commissioned to sell the streaming has legal ownership of all video from the competition.
In other words, I am guessing that the Broadmoor issue is not related to the choreography of any particular skater.

(A separate issue -- big issue -- is music rights.)

Yes, that's the post that made me think of it. I understand that the Broadmoor uploads aren't directly related to any particular choreography. It just made me wonder if programs (I guess specifically the layouts & steps) were ever copyrighted by choreographers. And you're right -- music rights are a whole other can of worms!